Abstract
Summer rain is changeable in the semi-arid climate, and is the limiting factor to the survival and growth of sand-fixing vegetation, especially in Tibetan Plateau. Caragana intermedia is the dominant sand-binding shrub on sand dune in the northeast Tibetan Plateau. Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope of xylem water, soil water, and groundwater were examined to study rainwater uptake process by C. intermedia in mid-summer. Soil water content was monitored continuously before and after a 13.9 mm rain. Contribution of each water source was analysed by MixSIAR model. The results showed surface soil water (0-10 cm) was replenished by rainwater through increasing soil water content and reducing its stable isotope. Caragana intermedia mainly used surface soil water (0-10 cm) replenished by rainwater one day after the rain, accounting for about 60% of its total water source. As water availability decreased in upper soil layers, it used soil water at deeper levels (10-150 cm), the same water source as one day before the rain. The rapid and efficient uptake of rainwater by C. intermedia reflected its response to summer rain, which is an adaptive strategy to the semi-arid environment. Therefore, C. intermedia could survive on sand dune by shallow soil water replenished from rainwater in Tibetan Plateau.
Highlights
In drylands, water is an important restricting factor for the growth, survival, and reproduction of plant species (Hou et al, 2013), where precipitation is low and changeable, potential evaporation is high, and drought is frequent
Our research showed that shallow soil water was replenished by rainwater in the C. intermedia community
In the Tibetan Plateau, surface soil water (0−10 cm) on sand dune was replenished and its hydrogen and oxygen isotopes were reduced by a 13.9 mm rain
Summary
Water is an important restricting factor for the growth, survival, and reproduction of plant species (Hou et al, 2013), where precipitation is low and changeable, potential evaporation is high, and drought is frequent. Based on the prediction of the climate change model, the extreme precipitation in the arid and semi-arid zones would increase in frequency under global warming. The reliance on rainwater in the growing season is important for plant phenology (flowering and fruit maturation) in semi-arid zones (Xia and Wan, 2012). Water use adaptation of plant species affects many ecological processes including plant growth, population regeneration, vegetation dynamics, and ecosystem water cycle. Stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen usually do not fractionate when root systems absorb water from soil and plants transport water from root systems to branches.
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